Pierce County, Georgia
Pierce County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2010 census, the population was 18,758. The county seat is Blackshear. Pierce County is part of the Waycross, GA Micropolitan Statistical Area. History Pierce County is named for Franklin Pierce, fourteenth President of the United States. It was created December 18, 1857, from Appling and Ware counties. Geography According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (7.8%) is water. The northeastern third of Pierce County, bordered by a line from just west of Mershon to just south of Bristol, then south to just north of Blackshear, and then heading due east, is located in the Little Satilla River sub-basin of the St. Marys River-Satilla River basin. The southern two-thirds of the county is located in the Satilla River sub-basin of the St. Marys-Satilla River basin. Major highways * U.S. Highway 84 * State Route 15 * State Route 32 * State Route 38 * State Route 121 * State Route 203 Adjacent counties *Appling County - north *Wayne County - northeast *Brantley County - southeast *Ware County - west *Bacon County - northwest Demographics |align-fn=center |footnote=U.S. Decennial Census 1790-1960 1900-1990 1990-2000 2010-2013 }} 2000 census As of the census of 2000, there were 15,636 people, 5,958 households, and 4,438 families residing in the county. The population density was 46 people per square mile (18/km²). There were 6,719 housing units at an average density of 20 per square mile (8/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 86.90% White, 10.91% Black or African American, 0.26% Native American, 0.18% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 0.97% from other races, and 0.73% from two or more races. 2.28% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. As of the census of 2000, the largest ancestry groups were: 71.14% of people in Pierce County were of English descent, 11.37% were of Scots-Irish descent and 10.91% were of African descent. There were 5,958 households out of which 34.70% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.00% were married couples living together, 11.60% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.50% were non-families. 23.10% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.80% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.61 and the average family size was 3.06. In the county, the population was spread out with 26.70% under the age of 18, 8.50% from 18 to 24, 28.10% from 25 to 44, 24.50% from 45 to 64, and 12.20% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 96.90 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.40 males. The median income for a household in the county was $29,895, and the median income for a family was $35,903. Males had a median income of $28,331 versus $19,771 for females. The per capita income for the county was $14,230. About 14.40% of families and 18.40% of the population were below the poverty line, including 25.50% of those under age 18 and 22.40% of those age 65 or over. 2010 census As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 18,758 people, 7,083 households, and 5,268 families residing in the county. The population density was . There were 7,986 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 86.9% white, 8.9% black or African American, 0.4% American Indian, 0.3% Asian, 0.1% Pacific islander, 2.1% from other races, and 1.4% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 4.7% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 18.6% were American, 14.9% were Irish, 12.8% were English, and 7.2% were German. Of the 7,083 households, 37.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.7% were married couples living together, 13.6% had a female householder with no husband present, 25.6% were non-families, and 21.8% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.63 and the average family size was 3.05. The median age was 38.4 years. The median income for a household in the county was $37,062 and the median income for a family was $47,157. Males had a median income of $38,770 versus $26,510 for females. The per capita income for the county was $18,283. About 13.6% of families and 15.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 20.3% of those under age 18 and 14.9% of those age 65 or over. Media *The Blackshear Times (weekly newspaper) *[http://www.presspublishingco.com/pierce/pierce.htm The Pierce County Press] (weekly newspaper) *[http://www.wjhnews.com/ Waycross Journal-Herald] (daily newspaper) *WKUB 105.1FM (Country radio) *WWUF 97.7FM (Oldies radio) *WSFN AM 1350 (Sports radio) *WAYX AM 1230 (News Talk radio) Communities Cities *Blackshear *Offerman *Patterson *Waycross (a small part) Effective July 1, 2015, Waycross is no longer located nor allowed to be located in Pierce County, Georgia. Rep. Chad Nimmerhttp://www.house.ga.gov/Representatives/en-US/member.aspx?Member=790&Session=24 introduced HB 523 during the 2015 Legislative Session without providing the required statutory notice to the City of Waycross. HB 523 de-annexed the portion of Waycross located in Pierce County and prevents the City of Waycross from coming back into Pierce County.http://www.legis.ga.gov/Legislation/20152016/151607.pdf Unincorporated communities *Blue Lake *Bristol *Hacklebarney *Jot Em Down Store *Mershon *Otter Creek *Sandy Bottom *Walkerville *Zirkle's Landing Politics See also *National Register of Historic Places listings in Pierce County, Georgia References Category:Counties of Georgia (U.S. state) Category:Pierce County, Georgia Category:1857 establishments in Georgia (U.S. state) Category:Waycross, Georgia micropolitan area Category:Settlements established in 1857